UK DIY News

Nearly half of top retailers don't offer a click-and-collect service

New research has revealed less than half of the UK’s top sellers offer a click-and-collect service, providing an inconsistent multi-channel customer experience.

A new report from IVIS Group found only 44% of the UK’s top 50 retailers – spanning grocery, department stores, clothing, general merchandise and home and improvement – currently allow shoppers to reserve or pay for products online and collect in-store.

The research, which also looked at how mobile is linking online and in-store shopping, also found that 38% of retailers admitted they haven’t optimised their websites for mobile, whilst 54% claimed to have a mobile app.

Of those with a mobile optimised site or app, 84% have a store locator on the home page but over half don’t allow customers to check in-store stock availability before going shopping, said the report.

The report also focused on customer service and found two thirds of retailers are happy to receive telephone calls about online and catalogue shopping queries and orders whilst 34% prefer to be contacted by email or web forms.

Paul Bolton from IVIS Group said: “We found that while some retailers are leading the way with flawless, joined up customer shopping experiences, these are rare. In-store and online crossover is a growing trend, but the number of retailers offering this service is low - even when taking into account that certain product types may not suit the click and collect model. Retailers need to start thinking like shoppers. Running a unified operation means the customer gets the best experience.”